The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 46

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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46

“Wow, there are a lot of people today.”
“Right?”
“What variety show are we filming today?”

We’d scheduled a reaction shoot for Episode 4, which had already aired, at the tvK Broadcasting Station. Peering out from the van, I noticed an unusually large crowd gathered in front of the station today.
Even when we film variety shows, there aren’t usually this many people.

‘I’d rather wait in front of the Entertainment Agency than stand around outside the Broadcasting Station, not knowing when anyone will show up.’

Lingering in front of the Broadcasting Station meant I’d recognize the faces of the polished producers and staff members faster than I would the celebrities.
The Manager glanced behind us through the rear-view mirror and spoke.

“Want to get out?”
“Yeah, okay.”

It didn’t really matter whether we entered through the underground parking lot or the main gate, so I nodded and stepped out of the van.
But suddenly, a loud voice called out to us.

“Oh! The Dun!”
“Da-jun!”
“Ho-yoon! Seo Ho-yoon!”

‘….’

I hadn’t anticipated this.

“…Should we get back in?”
“Hey, are you joking? We can’t get back in now.”

In response to Jung Da-jun’s innocent question, Kang Yi-chae pushed him forward. I quickly grabbed the dazed Kim Sung-hyun and hurried inside the Broadcasting Station, bowing my head repeatedly as we went.
Only after we’d rushed chaotically into the Broadcasting Station did we exchange bewildered glances with one another.

“What?”
“Um…”
“Wait… What did you just say?”
“I don’t really…”

We kept repeating the same confused questions back and forth. No, I genuinely didn’t understand.
The stares that had followed me even inside the Broadcasting Station persisted.
Before the Manager could even arrive, the writer from Shining Star came rushing out barefoot.

“Oh my goodness, our little blessing!”
“…”

No matter how many times I heard it, I couldn’t get used to that way of being addressed.

“Welcome, welcome. Did you have any trouble getting here?”
“No, it was fine.”
“There are a lot of people outside today, aren’t there?”
“Yes, there are.”
“They’re all here to see The Dun and the cast of Shining Star, you know? The ratings for Shining Star have been absolutely explosive lately.”

Explosive, sure. I’ll admit that.
Thanks to that, even if I didn’t rank first here, it seemed my popularity would hold up to some degree.
The reason they weren’t even mentioning dropping out despite Kim Sung-hyun’s school violence controversy was because we were sacrificial offerings that boosted their ratings.
They’d always treated me kindly on the surface, but I’d sensed a subtle distance. Today, though, they were being unusually friendly, which struck me as odd—my eyes narrowed instinctively. My mind spun. Ah, now I get it.

‘They must have secured a bonus because the ratings came out well.’

“I’m jealous.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”

Jealous. I’m jealous. I glared at the writer.
They sacrificed us and got episode four ratings close to six percent. If I’d managed to secure a bonus vacation that way, I’d pamper The Dun too.
tvK Broadcasting Station was now completely plastered with Shining Star posters. The popularity I hadn’t felt even just a few months ago suddenly hit me like a wave.

“Come on, have a seat. Sit down.”

The writer guided us to a prepared location to capture reactions to the fourth episode’s broadcast. As I settled into a chair at the large conference table and turned on the wall-mounted television, a pre-recorded video began to play.
But I couldn’t focus on the reactions—I was too distracted by Kim Hee-young’s absence from the room.
Where did she go?

“Oh, Seo Ho-yoon is so handsome!”
“She looks so pretty~.”

Unable to respond to the nonsense, I was lost in thought about Kim Hee-young’s absence when the fourth episode broadcast suddenly ended. At the same moment, another staff member entered and began explaining the third round competition.

“So for the third round, we should start the briefing, right?”
“Yes!”
“For the third round, you can do any concept you want! Anything goes!”
….

I had a bad feeling about this, and I was right.
Jung Da-jun noticed my expression and asked.

“Until now… you haven’t done that?”
“This time is different! This time, from concept to song, you can produce everything however you want. However, you can’t use songs you’ve already released on your original albums!”

‘I see where this is going.’

Today had probably already invested the effort to prepare a comeback-level track. That’s why they were giving us creative freedom—it didn’t matter what we did. I did the math in my head.

“How much time do we have left….”
“One week to come to the stage and rehearse, and then ten days until the live broadcast!”
“You want us to create a new song in ten days?”
“Yes!”

These bastards….
The production crew grinned brightly, still unaware that I was the kind of person who would spit in someone’s face even as I smiled. But with the cameras rolling, I couldn’t actually do it, so I just clicked my tongue silently.
This had become problematic. Even if I’d laid all the groundwork, a mediocre performance in the third round would ruin the perfect narrative.
After the production crew finished saying what they came to say, they left, and we were given time to discuss among ourselves.
After the Production Crew finished saying everything they wanted to say and left, we were given time to have a meeting among ourselves.

“Ten days means we need to pull a song within the next two days?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“Well, if they at least gave us a demo….”
“Usually other entertainment agencies have unreleased tracks sitting around, so we could just pick from those….”
“Do we have any unreleased songs?”
“…Pineapple.”
“Pass!”

There was no way I could send such a terrible song as Shining Star’s final release.
Should I push Lim Hyun-sung to write something? But no matter how hard I pressed her, the timeline was impossibly tight, and there was no guarantee it would turn out well. Besides, Lim Hyun-sung was too valuable—I wanted to save her for more important projects.
I ignored Jung Da-jun’s deflated expression and his soft popping sounds as I spun my pen, when my eyes met Kang Yi-chae’s.
He had that look—like he wanted to say something.

“What?”
“…Hehe.”

Kang Yi-chae, uncharacteristically, flashed a mischievous smile and laid on the charm. Something was up.

“What is it, you punk? Spit it out.”
“Hyung, we’re at the broadcasting station.”
“Oh, right.”

Being a worn-out, exhausted office worker, I had a habit of cursing constantly.
The moment I pretended to zip my lips, the other members burst into light laughter.

“Ho-yoon hyung, hyungs, Da-jun. I’m Kang Yi-chae.”
“Yeah, we know your name is Kang Yi-chae.”
“I… have five songs I’ve been working on.”

No way!
I almost clenched my fist but stopped myself. No—if I got my hopes up and it fell through, I’d be the one hurting.

“You only did arrangements before, didn’t you?”
“Come on, hyung, don’t be like that. Of course I pestered composer Lim Hyun-sung and learned composition skills like crazy. Want to hear them?”

Kang Yi-chae seized the moment and pulled out his phone.
Playing them right here and now—he must have been pretty confident.
With half hope and half anxiety, we all stared intently at Kang Yi-chae’s phone as the first track began to play. Before even the first verse finished, a change flickered across every member’s face.

“Kang Yi-chae.”
“Yes.”
“You really live up to your name.”

Kang Yi-chae truly deserved his name.

‘I really picked well.’

“Kang Yi-chae, if you can do something like this, why did you say you were going with Pineapple?”
“I learned it recently. I just got interested watching the Composer work, so I tried tinkering with it a bit.”

‘If Lim Hyun-sung heard this, she’d cry.’

How could the song sound this good from just tinkering around? Did he already know how to play instruments? I looked at Kang Yi-chae with suspicion, but he just fumbled awkwardly.
Only after listening to several more songs did the music finally stop.

“I’ll ask the Composer one more time. Just to be sure.”
“Hey, this is already really, really good.”

Kang Yi-chae scratched the back of his head bashfully.
Either way, it was excellent. I picked up the paper and checked off the songs.

“I like the second one the best. It feels grand, and with the orchestra, it has that finale quality to it.”
“Finale… I like that.”

Sung Ji-won nodded. I noticed Kim Sung-hyun, whose spirits had been noticeably dampened lately, watching carefully.

“Yes, Kim Sung-hyun, I see you hesitating.”
“Ah…”
“If you have something to say, say it quickly.”

Kim Sung-hyun hesitated a few more times before finally speaking.

“…What if we went with a concept of ‘the birth of a star’? …The program name is Shining Star, after all.”
“Right, it’s a name created to make the Idol shine.”

‘Hmm…’

It’s not bad, but it’s an ordinary concept. After all, the name Shining Star itself carries the meaning of elevating a star.
But then.

“Is there anything else you’ve thought about?”

Add MSG and it changes everything.
Before bringing up my idea, I waited for Kim Sung-hyun to speak first. He seemed restless, like he desperately wanted to say something. After a moment of deliberation, Kim Sung-hyun opened his mouth.

“…We’ve been through so much, haven’t we? Throughout the entire program. We thought we’d shine, but all we had during filming was constant friction.”

I was genuinely surprised. The other members were too.
I never expected Kim Sung-hyun to bring up his own struggles, however indirectly, in front of the camera.
The camera was filming every moment with obvious excitement.
Episode 5, which would air soon… and by then, it would be the right time for this kind of conversation.

“But I read something in a magazine when I was younger. To be born, a star originally needs intense friction. When nebulae cluster together, internal pressure increases, and as heat and temperature rise, a nucleus forms at the center and becomes a baby star!”
“Was that Korean?”

Jung Da-jun muttered in bewilderment, and Sung Ji-won added a simple explanation.

“It means that for a star to be born, it has to go through that much hardship, right?”

Kim Sung-hyun nodded.

“Yeah. And a baby star born that way can only emit its own light after enduring gravity and undergoing nuclear fusion.”
“….”
“So… ah, I’m not even sure what I’m saying myself.”

I understood what he meant.

“All the hardship we’ve endured so far was inevitable, and after overcoming that hardship, we finally became a star that shines with its own light. What if we went with this kind of story?”

As I summarized it briefly, Kim Sung-hyun nodded enthusiastically. While twirling my pen and contemplating the synergy between the ‘final’ stage and the concept, our eyes met perfectly.
We both smiled at once.

“…If we actually get first place with this, it would be really cool.”
“….”
“Okay. I’m in.”

It could come across as touching to fans, and the narrative is solid too.
Sung Ji-won nodded in agreement.

“I like it too. The lyrics are going to sound beautiful. Oh wait, should we layer some doubling here?”
“Hold on, a planet?! Space?! Then can I rearrange this a bit more and make the sound absolutely grand?!”
“Brother… Wait, Hyun-sung becomes a star? Then can I make a wish to you, brother?”

Everyone just said whatever they wanted.

Ding!

[You’ve been influenced by Seo Ho-yoon!]

Influenced by me?
I stopped the pen I’d been spinning out of habit and stood up immediately.

“Let’s head back to the Practice Room and talk this through.”
“We won’t be getting choreography, right?”
“We’ll have to do it ourselves, like always….”
….

What could anyone possibly expect from a Small-to-Medium Entertainment Company….
But the dance line—Kim Sung-hyun and Jung Da-jun—were already deep into choreography, fired up.

“So here it goes pat-pat!”
“No, not pat-pat—it should be a swoosh. Swoosh-swoosh and then bang.”
“Ugh, I’m not quite getting it… Let’s listen to the song again while we talk.”

Whether it was Korean or not, I trusted they’d pull it off. Once the other members laid down their parts, I’d just sit back and enjoy the feast.
Just as the song and concept were roughly decided, and the Camera Director was packing up the camera, apparently satisfied with what they’d filmed—

“Hey, you there, pretty psycho.”
“…Pretty psycho?”

It was Kim Hee-young. She’d come to her senses and approached with confident strides, looking far more put-together than before.

“It means a good-looking lunatic.”
“Ah.”

At my composed response, Kim Hee-young let out a soft laugh.
With Kim Hee-young’s arrival, the members grew cautious, so I shifted slightly to a corner.

“So, Jal-tto, has your situation improved? You even got the devil’s edit?”
“Thanks to you. I appreciate you helping us out.”
“Ugh, ugh… I really don’t understand.”

Kim Hee-young swept her hair back.

“Even with the devil’s edit and placing fifth, the manipulation controversy died down instantly. That was the right call. It’s better to suppress the controversy that way than to leave it festering.”
“Well, yeah…”

I rolled my eyes.
Kim Hee-young seemed to think the devil’s edit I’d requested, focused mainly on Kim Sung-hyun, was a clever move to quell our manipulation controversy.

“We got the pheasant and the egg.”
“…That’s strange? Am I misunderstanding? Isn’t that the saying about fighting poison with poison?”
“No, you can interpret it with the original meaning you know.”

Kim Hee-young furrowed her brow.

“We got the pheasant of quelling the manipulation controversy, but we haven’t gotten the egg yet.”
“I seriously have no idea what you’re thinking. Not. A. Clue.”
“You’ll find out soon.”

I grinned, and Kim Hee-young, frustrated, tapped her chest.

“Anyway, stop by Express Terminal Station on your way back. I don’t think you’ve been there yet. It’s quite spectacular.”
“Huh?”
“What, the company didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”

I asked back, genuinely confused. Kim Hee-young let out a slightly exasperated laugh.

“I don’t get it either, but how does Dae Pa-sung even handle things? You didn’t know about the billboard?”

…A billboard?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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